Clear Channel UK pledges to show significant support for one partner charity every Christmas, via their new initiative, “The Christmas Charity Partnership”, by donating a significant volume of relevant inventory, for a single festive campaign. London’s Air Ambulance is the first charity to benefit from the Clear Channel Christmas Charity Partnership initiative.
On Sunday 8th October, 79 runners took part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon to raise money for our charity. So far they have raised an incredible £33,000, and the money is still coming in.
It was a beautiful morning when the race began in Hyde Park. The stunning 13.1 mile route passed world-famous London landmarks and took runners through four of the capital’s eight Royal Parks — Hyde Park, Green park, James’ Park and Kensington Gardens. Our cheer team was on route, megaphones in hand, to give our team a well-deserved boost as they powered round the course.
There is one man in particular who has dedicated himself to the development of our Physician Response Unit (PRU). Driven by his desire to improve the quality of patient care and push the boundaries of prehospital emergency medicine, Tony Joy has worked tirelessly to introduce a new and improved service.
The Physician Response Unit (PRU), the joint service provided by London's Air Ambulance, Barts Health NHS Trust and London Ambulance Service has been remodelled thanks to funding from Tower Hamlets Together. Previously an 8 hours a day, 5 days a week service, the PRU will now be able to respond to 999 calls 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round. Because of these longer hours, up to 50% more patients will be seen, be able to get the care they need quicker and hospital and ambulance resources will be freed up in East London.
Our Deputy CEO Charles Newitt has been shortlisted for the Supporting Executive of the Year at the 2017 Charity Times Awards for his work in overseeing the successful introduction of our second helicopter and leading the charity’s strategic direction during his time as Interim CEO.
Michael is one of our earliest helipad visitors turned Philantrophy Manager. At the age of 12, he was a patient at The Royal London Hospital and one of his nurses organised a helipad tour as a treat. When a recruiter called 20 years later to say there was a role available at London’s Air Ambulance, he says it felt like “coming full circle".
“I have a long connection with The Royal London Hospital. I was a patient on the fourth floor between the ages of 12 and 18. The hospital itself means a great deal.
National Air Ambulance Week is behind us, and what a week it was. Here's a look at some of this year’s highlights.
This National Air Ambulance Week 160 daring fundraisers took the plunge off the side of The Royal London Hospital for our annual helipad abseil. Aiming to raise £100k, these thrill-seekers harnessed-up from 13th to 15th September to support our charity, with a further 70 due to go over the edge soon.
The event began on Wednesday morning when Dr Hilary Jones abseiled off the tallest helipad in Europe live on Lorraine. The next day TV presenters Helen Fospero and Tim Vincent followed in his footsteps to descend 305ft and officially open the event.
This National Air Ambulance Week, our charity has released a video revealing a breakdown of costs associated with delivering our vital service. In the video you will see just some of the critical equipment your donations help to buy.
We were thrilled to welcome Graham Taylor and his daughter Sharon Wilkins, from Essex, to our helipad this week, after Graham scooped the top prize of £1,000 in our weekly lottery.
As a charity, we rely on fundraising to help us to deliver our service which costs £10 million to run per year. The lottery provides us with a vital source of regular income and offers players the chance to win £1,000 each week.
Graham was encouraged to sign up for the weekly lottery by our volunteer canvassers who visited him at his home.
